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08-31-2002, 06:25 PM
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#1
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jeanarlene
1971 23' Safari
Lake Ann
, Michigan
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 44
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Airabelle has sprung her door
Sprung door.
What next?! We're busy caulking exterior seams with Vulkem and I just learned about Sikaflex 227 for the roof seams so I'll get some of that. Also check out the roof vent cover gaskets...sigh. We just might conquer the leaks but--looking ahead to next problem. We just noticed the door is slightly sprung. It never wanted to close without a whimper and now we know why. My repair man (I'm inept) says to find out how he should go about getting it back in shape. Help!
Jeanne
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Jeanarlene
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08-31-2002, 07:53 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1986 25' Sovereign
Southern Middle
, Tennessee
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,319
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I talked with Inland RV Andy last year after reading in my service manual that you can put a piece of 2X4 wood between the door and frame then start applying pressure to form the door back into place. The service manual also said that you may need to drill out some of the rivets holding the inside door skin in place. My door had a slight opening at the top right hand side corned going down toward the lock. I placed a short piece of a 2X4 between the bottom of the door (about 20" long) and pushed inward on the upper right hand corner while my son held the lower portion of the door against the wood and door frame. I finally was able to get it to move in and make a seal without drilling out rivets. Good luck.
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Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
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08-31-2002, 07:56 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
LOST
, Hawaii
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,193
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Adjust doors with a 2x4 between the door and frame, but are you sure it is really spurng? The extrusion that makes the door frame is pretty solid, it would take quite a force to spring it. Mine was slightly open at the top, but I think it was probably underformed. Have you tried to adjust the strike and checked the hinges for wear?
John
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08-31-2002, 08:03 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
1986 25' Sovereign
Southern Middle
, Tennessee
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,319
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After my last post I hit myself in the forehead. I forgot to ask you if your door was sagging slightly as if a hinge had worked loose or if the pin had become worn. The hinges can be adjusted from the inside. If up and down is OK then my previous post regarding shaping the door still stands.
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Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
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09-01-2002, 09:34 AM
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#5
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jeanarlene
1971 23' Safari
Lake Ann
, Michigan
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 44
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Door Gap
Ken and I will inspect the hinge first to see if that's the culprit. If not,we'll try the 2x4 trick. Between the two methods a solution must lie. Rain has enough places to enter without commandeering the door!
Jeanne
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Jeanarlene
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09-02-2002, 12:00 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
Airstream Dealer
Corona
, California
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16,497
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Jeanne.
The original door frame on a 1971 was cast metal. If you attempt to reshape it, you will probably break the frame.
Normally, the fix is to remove the interior door metal, and then cut the door frame, and reweld it into it's proper shape.
Many door frames were broken by attempting to "rebend," the cast metal. Cast metal doesn't stretch, but instead usually fractures.
Not an easy fix, but a permanent one.
Andy
inlandrv.com
airstreamparts.com
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09-02-2002, 06:44 PM
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#7
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jeanarlene
1971 23' Safari
Lake Ann
, Michigan
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 44
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Door still gapping
Well, Andy, sounds as if amateurs can't fix the door. Perhaps the guys who used 2x4s were not workinging on cast metal doors. I'm not interested in hauling Airabelle a far piece to a reputable A/S dealer with the moxy to cut and reweld the door frame. I wonder if welding shops would be an alternative? Perhaps I will luck out as with the stove and find a local welder capable of doing the job. I'll call around.
Jeanne
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Jeanarlene
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09-03-2002, 12:43 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
1986 25' Sovereign
Southern Middle
, Tennessee
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,319
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jeanarlene,
The metal in my '77 door is not cast aluminum so therefore it is an acceptable practice to bend the door back in place. Andy knows his stuff and if he says that the door frame in your '71 is a cast unit then believe him. It makes sense what Andy says about cutting and then rewelding back into place. I would find a welding shop that has experience with aluminum and explain what you are trying to do. You would probably have to leave your trailer with them to "fit" the door. One more option would be to check salvage yards found in the vendor section of this forum and try to locate a door to your trailer. Try to get it fixed as soon as you can so that you do not start experiencing wood rot on the floor by your door.
__________________
Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
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09-03-2002, 08:04 PM
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#9
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jeanarlene
1971 23' Safari
Lake Ann
, Michigan
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 44
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Airabelle's Door
Hi Craig,
Thanks for the tip about seeking a welding shop that has experience with aluminum. I'll try that.
Jeanne
__________________
Jeanarlene
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10-10-2002, 08:52 PM
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#10
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 222
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More Sprung Door
>>>~~~~Overlander64 (Kevin Allen) wrote in another thread:>>>
Quote:
"After heavy rainstorms, there would be a small puddle in the floor next to my refrigerator - - I had assumed that this was coming in around the door gasket as my entrance door had been sprung when it was blown open in transit. After having the door repaired, the leak reappeared with the next rain storm."
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Kevin would you give us some info on the sprung door, its repair, and who did it and the cost?
May I also suggest that Jeanarlene change the subject-line of this thread to just 'Sprung Door / Bent Door'. As that it might become an ongoing thread on this subject, which is a common and serious one. I think. The name change might help future searchers.
Some call the problem "bent door".
Here are two different links elsewhere on this forum.
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http://www.airforums.com/forum...&threadid=1564
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http://www.airforums.com/forum...&threadid=1567
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10-11-2002, 08:38 AM
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#11
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jeanarlene
1971 23' Safari
Lake Ann
, Michigan
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 44
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Sprung door/Bent door
I've been working on other problems with Airabelle and forgot to let everyone know how I coped with the door leaks. I took Airabelle to a local welder who works on aluminum. He didn't want to take on the risk of cutting the inner frame (as Andy suggested) and rewelding. Since he was the only welding business in my area that does aluminum welding I knew I'd have to drive a distance to one that does. This made me more amenable to his suggestion that he thought putting on more weatherstripping in the upper right hand corner might do the trick. The door now closes securely, still locks, and hasn't leaked during the last heavy rain. However, I know the weatherstripping he used isn't the right kind so I'll have to replace it someday. Sometimes you just have to put on blinders and hope for the best.
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Jeanarlene
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10-11-2002, 03:00 PM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
1964 26' Overlander
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
Anna
, Illinois
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 5,710
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Airabelle has Sprung Her Door
I was something of a victim of unusual circumstances when the door blew open in transit on my Overlander. I had just picked it up at P & S Trailer Service in Helena, OH. They had just completed a complete polish and plasticoat job on the coach. My door's deadbolt and knobset latches had both been giving me trouble, and the cylinder in the deadbolt had frozen in the closed (unlocked) position. The knobset latch wasn't able to hold the door closed by itself, and the door blew open less that 8 miles from the Ruth's shop. I immediately called them on my cell phone and they asked me to return to the shop and they would see what they could do. Less than an hour later, I was on my way with a patch over the hole that the knobset had pushed in the side of the coach, and the door had been repaired - - all at no additional cost. The cost of the polish and plasticoat wasn't cheap, but I in no way anticipated absolutely no additional charge for the repair.
Good luck in finding a soluction to your door's problem
__________________
Kevin D. Allen
WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC #7864
AIR #827
1964 Overlander International
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
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02-06-2011, 12:09 PM
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#13
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4 Rivet Member
1973 25' Tradewind
Currently Looking...
Burnsville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 288
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Andy, does that go for a 73 Tradewind?
__________________
Ann - The Constructor's scribe.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
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